What you should know about lead service line replacement requirement updates

In October 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) to strengthen efforts to reduce lead exposure in drinking water. The final LCRI builds upon the previous lead and copper rules and includes key provisions proposed by the agency in November 2023. The rule is effective Dec. 30, 2024.

Establishing a timeframe to replace lead service lines will protect public health. The EPA estimates that the rule will protect infants and children from developmental delays and health conditions associated with lead exposure.

This blog post explains the final lead service line replacement requirements and why communities should partner with an expert to upgrade their water infrastructure.

What are the updated lead service line replacement requirements?

The proposed LCRI provides an option for water systems with more than 100,000 lead service lines to defer deadlines by replacing 10,000 service lines per year. The final LCRI simplifies the deferral mechanisms so that systems with a high proportion of lead service lines are eligible to extend deadlines, regardless of their total number of service lines. The following table highlights the key lead service line replacement requirements under the final rule.

Water systems must comply with the lead service line replacement requirements starting three years after the rule is in effect. Water systems should also comply with certain elements of the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), including:

• Preparation. A water system should meet Tier I public notice requirements in the event of lead action level exceedance.
• Submission. A service line inventory should identify all service lines in a water system's service area as either lead, non-lead, galvanized requiring replacement (GRR) or lead status unknown. The inventory should be publicly available.
• Notification. A water system should notify its customers whose service lines are lead, GRR or lead status unknown within 30 days of official inventory submittal.

The lack of funds is a major obstacle to lead service line replacements across communities. Taking this into account, the EPA announced $2.6 billion in available drinking water infrastructure funding to support lead pipe replacement projects. The total funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that can be used for lead line replacements is more than $26 billion over five years. Half of this funding will go to disadvantaged communities as grants or principal forgiveness loans.

How Fehr Graham can help communities meet lead service line replacement requirements

At Fehr Graham, we are committed to helping communities access safe and reliable drinking water. We help municipalities identify and inventory lead service lines, secure funds and oversee construction to improve water lines across Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Partnering with Fehr Graham can help your community successfully replace lead service lines and upgrade aging drinking water infrastructure.